Martin Paisner

Martin Paisner "attended St Paul’s School, London (1956-1961), the Sorbonne, Paris (1961-1962), Worcester College, Oxford (1962-1965) and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA (1966-1967). He obtained an MA from Oxford and an LLM from Michigan.

"Martin qualified as a solicitor in January 1970 and became a partner with Paisner & Co in 1972 (that firm having merged with Berwin Leighton to form Berwin Leighton Paisner in May 2001). He has specialised throughout his career in the areas of charity law and private client practice. Apart from work of a general estate planning nature, including the application of trusts of a domestic and offshore nature for both UK and overseas clients, he has also been instrumental in developing the firm’s acknowledged role as a leading adviser to charities (both functional and grant-making). He is a trustee of a great many family trusts and charities.

"Martin was named a an expert in charities and private client in Legal Business Legal Experts 2000.

"Martin is a member of the Garrick, Reform and Buck’s Clubs. He is an Honorary Fellow of Queen Mary University of London, Worcester College, Oxford and King’s College London,

"He also holds an Honorary Doctorate of the University of Glasgow and was appointed CBE in June 2004.

"Martin is a trustee of: The British Institute of International and Comparative Law, Ovarian Cancer Action, Royal Free Hospital Breast Cancer (Cancerkin), Weizmann UK (Vice Chairman), Holocaust Educational Trust, The Jerusalem Foundation (Chairman), Heart Cells Foundation, Shaare Zedek (UK), Oxford Centre for Post-Graduate Hebrew Studies.

"Martin is also a trustee of (inter alia) the following other grant-making trusts: The Wolfson Family Charitable Trust, The Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation, The Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Philanthropic Foundation, Bluston Charitable Trust, Phillips & Rubens Charitable Trust, Colwinston Charitable Trust, The Stuart Young Foundation.

"Martin is also an Honorary Council Member of the Royal Court Theatre in London, a Vice President of Jewish Care and an Honorary Member of the Council of the NSPCC.

"On an overseas basis Martin is a member of the Board of The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Inc (JDC) in New York and Chairman of the Myers-Brookdale Institute which is an applied research body representing a partnership between the JDC and the Israel Government dealing primarily with social welfare, health and educational issues."


 * Trustee, Peter Cruddas Foundation